oooh, check on craig's list! And I just thought of something... can you afford a new bobbin case? I'm thinking the bobbin case is either wrong or defective. My first sewing machine was a bottom of the line singer and I kept that darn machine for years (got it for my bday in 1968 and I remember taking sewing lessons at the singer store at Ala Moana mall in Oahu). I must have sewn a million miles on that! I traded it in for a Viking, which I still have (and I wish I still had my old singer). At any rate, when ever my singer would get stuck, the issue was always the bobbin (or me and the bobbin). I have a QC1000 from brother and I love it!